Largely out of respect to the fact that this film is based on the true events of a commercial trek to the summit of Everest that went horribly wrong, this film eschews disaster-movie histrionics and opts for a sombre, more muted tone of helpless despair in the face of the overwhelming power of the elements. As expected, IMAX 3D makes the scenery look stunning, but the presentation format is largely used to evoke the sense of scale and power of nature rather than climbers-in-jeopardy shots. The strong unshowy ensemble cast works well, with Watson, Knightley, Worthington, Nori and Brolin doing a lot of thoughtful work, and Jason Clarke giving a strong performance in a role which finally suits him well. The first half is a bit of plod, and quite a lot of the exterior-set dialogue is incomprehensible, but once the snow hits the fan - apart from occasionally jarring clearly-fake studio shots - Everest is a quietly sad and sincere docudrama.
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